Never Ending Bathroom Renovation Nightmare
Simply put in my opinion the worst bathroom renovation experience, this is a long read but worth it. This starts from day 1 demo all the way until the project was completed almost a full 4 months later and up to August (~8 months after completion) where my shower was found to be leaking. For a further ~2 months I have been trying to get The Home Improvement Group to repair the shower as it is under warranty. The Home Improvement Group acknowledges that there is an issue however they tell me that the dispute is between myself and their subcontractor which seems as though they trying to wash their hands of any repair cost. The contract is between myself and the home improvement group (not their subcontractor, whoever that was) as I have no say in who they use as a subcontractor. They have explained to me that I must go thru my insurance company and have them go after the subcontractors insurance company to have them pay for the repair, effectively using my insurance company as their warranty. Once the insurance has been settled (it hasnt because Im not covered for slow leaks generated by faulty renovation work) The Home Improvement Group offered to repair the shower (paid for by me/my insurance) once I get the money from my insurance company. Can you see what they are doing? Getting a second renovation out of this whole thing.. (after kicking the ball down the road needlessly). All I really want is my shower to work the way it should. After spending $12,500 + materials on a renovation the bathroom should work better than it did before the renovation not worse right?
There were so many issues with this project it will take a lot of time to list them (not all but most) so lets start:
1. From Start to finish I was flipped thru 3 different project managers finally leaving me with one of the worst from what I could tell.
2. Demo happened and was left on my front porch damaging it. Issue was raised and THIG offered to have it repainted in the spring but thats the last I heard of it so I painted it myself.
3. Tiles were cut on the front porch with my front door left open - further damaging the porch and and covering it and my main floor in dust.
4. Tiles were improperly installed on the floor with some of the worst gapping possible (Pictures attached) so bad in fact that the entire floor was re-demoed and replaced a second time after a few weeks of back and forth nonsense.
5. The new tiles were installed a second time however the tiles were cut in the bathroom and this time so the entire house was covered in a layer of dust (pictures attached)
6. The same day the shower tiling was completed the tub filler began to leak thru the floor which I believe was due to the constant turning and twisting created by the excessive amount of demo and rework in the bathroom. That being said we aired on the side of caution and bought a new one to ensure we were safe ~$1,500 unplanned expense.
7. After a few he said/she said calls to THIG they agreed to repair the damage caused by that leak.
8. A hole cut in the tile for a faucet was too big so it needed to be removed, recut and replaced.
9. The shower control was installed improperly and parts upside down. It was damaged during the reinstall and parts were replaced by THIG at no cost to me. Just careless.
10. The shower glass was to be saved and re-installed as it was in decent condition but due to what I would guess was measurement issues (demoing the bathroom twice) it did not fit. Because of this issue THIG did in fact replace the glass at no charge to me which was positive.
11. The silicone finishing around the top of the shower was horrible and needed to be replaced (pictures attached). Finishing around the ¼ round was incomplete which I had to ask to be done properly (and did myself in some areas). Basically overall finish was really bad until I said something then it got a little better.
12. Then there was the little stuff, like covering the stairs, floors (not done until I told them to cover it), closing doors to outside (my wife found the neighbours cat in the basement one evening) and leaves everywhere etc. Just simple respect for your home things that didnt seem to matter. Every time I said something to the project manager I would get I tell these guys but they just dont listen but saw even the project manager doing it on my camera.
13. Now The Home Improvement Group is trying their best to no longer communicate with me hoping that I will go away.
14. So here we sit less than a year after completion and we have a leaky shower that cant be used. All I really want is what I paid for and the nonsense and deflecting to go away.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $12,500.00
- Company Response
Good Morning Chris. I am responding to your concern and would like the opportunity to speak with you. As the owner of The Home Improvement Group, I pride myself in quality work and customer service. We never walk away from an issue, especially a leak. This is the first I hear of this. Did you contact our office and voice your concern? I am always available via email or a call. Please contact me at 905 502 0204.